Tag Archives: Beards in the Park

To continue in the spirit of our favorite month of the year–No Shave November–we bring to you today a redbearded wonder hailing from Jacksonville, Florida: Meet Matthew. We were fortunate enough to encounter Matthew and his amazing sweetheart Wendy and their daughter Dailyn at the Gentleman of the Road music tour in St. Augustine, Florida in September. Matthew has been growing his impressive beard since November 1st, 2012, and has no plans to stop: he explained to us, that, as he told his employer, it’s against his religion to shave, as his religion is Man. We’ll happily apply for membership into The Church of the Beard any day. Wendy told us she is quite fond of Matthew’s bad-ass beard, though it does get tiring fending off the attention her man’s mane garners. Matthew, who designs office interiors for a company in Jacksonville, told us his friends affectionately call him Mountain Man and we tend to agree: He’d fit right in with the bearded brotherhood in Denver! Like a woman with a pregnant belly, Matthew has to handle aggressive admirers who are often a little too eager to caress his beard, but we sympathize with the adoring public; it’s hard to resist such a work of art! Thanks Matthew, Wendy, and Dailyn, you made our magical musical weekend a little sweeter!

Occasionally, the ladies of Beards of Denver spread their wings and head out on a beard hunt in foreign lands. In September, adventures took the ladies of B of D away from our haven of landlocked mountain majesty to the ocean-enveloped locale dubbed St. Augustine, Florida to attend the Gentleman of the Road music tour and see Mumford & Sons, Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros, Justin Townes Earle, & many other fabulous musicians perform. With an event dubbed “Gentleman of the Road” you may not be surprised to learn there were a plethora of bearded concert-goers, including Ross, pictured here with Stephanie, a dear friend of the Ladies of B of D. And since both gingerbeards and true gingers are particularly close to our hearts here at Beards of Denver, we couldn’t resist posting these two firery redheads together! Ross, who hails from the panhandle of Florida, has been growing his red-bearded mane for nearly a year. A Certified Public Account for Warren Averett, he dedicated much of his Christmas break in 2012 to the beginnings of his beard, and we can’t think of a better holiday gift to the world than an increase in the number of gingerbeards. Luckily for the universe, Ross’ place of employment welcomed his beard with open arms when he returned to work after the holiday season. Ross’ lovely wife Brianne wasn’t a fan of his beard initially but now has fully gotten on board to support his beard. If Ross and Anne could drive six hours for a weekend of music, we have no doubt Ross’ beard dedication will last for several years into the future. Thanks Ross! We like Florida more now.

As fans of Beards of Denver may not be surprised to learn, Red Rocks is a mecca for spotting epic beards. But when we saw Sean Walrad tailgating before the Avett Brothers show recently, we knew we’d discovered a bearded diamond in the rough. Sean, who lives in Colorado Springs and is a tattoo artist at Nostalgia Tattoo Co. there, not only can obviously grow an impressive beard, he has used his stunning handsomeness to his advantage, trying out to be a beard model in Bend, Oregon after he had heard about European Beard Model competitions (that sounds like a trip we need to take!) Sean, who’s a huge Colorado Avalanche fan, told us he and many others specifically will grow out their beards when the Stanley Cup starts, which seems like as good a reason as any for showing off that rad facial hair. When we asked Sean’s lovely sweetheart Mandy if she was a fan of his beard, she noted she couldn’t imagine him without it, since he’s had it the entire three years of their courtship. She did say though that sometimes she grabs his beard at night instead of a blanket, which really seems like a better thing to nuzzle up in anyway! Also, apparently Sean and Mandy’s cats aren’t afraid to curl right up in all that bearded-fierce-fantasticness, either! Those cats RECOGNIZE. Thanks Sean! We now know where we can get an awesome tatt AND gaze at an amazing beard.

The ladies of Beards of Denver love frequenting the local haunts in their neighborhoods, and Park House at East Colfax and Madison has emerged as a favorite spot over the past few months. With frequent bluegrass shows, great drink specials, and a homey feel, there’s no shortage of bearded men milling about, which is an added bonus. But one beard stood out above the rest on a recent visit: Beards of Denver lovelies, meet Brian, the head chef at Park House. Originally from South Carolina, Brian first came to Denver in the early ‘90s to play baseball at CU Boulder. Though that never materialized, he did earn a degree in sociology, but discovered culinary school was his true calling, which he went on to complete in New York. After a stint in St. Petersburg, Florida, Brian made it to Denver nearly two years ago. Back in St. Pete’s, Brian entered many a beard contest, and we can certainly see why based on his beard-prowess. When asked if the beard is a staple for him, Brian’s response was, “I always say, if your daddy don’t got a beard, you got two mammas” (we take that as his beard is a mainstay for him). Brian’s fiancé, Kat, is a huge fan of his beard, and even asked him out first while he was still building up his courage to ask her out (a woman after our own hearts!) You may also notice Brian sporting a Reba McIntyre t-shirt; which, he assured us, isn’t ironic—he went to the concert when he was 13. He likes Reba, has a southern accent, AND sports a bad-ass beard? Color us smitten.

Nick and his glitter-tastic beard impressed us today at the Ugly Sweater 5K fun run in City Park. Nick, who is originally from Idaho, has been known to glitterize and otherwise accessorize his beard for multiple occasions, and he didn’t disappoint today; among the many bearded dudes (and ugly sweaters) in the park, he stood out above the rest. He’s had his beard for the better part of the past four years, and we sure hope he continues to glitterize it for years to come!